Jonathon Lucroy Vetoes Deal To Indians, Is a Total Hypocrite

MLB Trade Rumors – Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Jonathan Lucroy has exercised his no-trade clause and vetoed a trade that would have sent him to the Indians in exchange for four prospects (Twitter link).

It was reported last night that the Brewers and Indians had agreed to a trade sending Lucroy to Cleveland in exchange for four minor leaguers: catcher Francisco Mejia, shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang, outfielder Greg Allen and right-hander Shawn Armstrong. Lucroy has chosen not to play for the Indians, who were one of the eight teams to which he could veto a trade under his contract’s limited no-trade provision.

This is odd.  Jonathon Lucroy just exercised his no trade clause after a deal was in place to send him to Cleveland.  Why is this odd?

In this article, written by Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal, Lucroy was quoted as saying the following:

“I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to compete for the playoffs this year,” Lucroy said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon while running errands back home in Lafayette, La. “If I did that, you’d call me a liar. I’d lose credibility and respect.

“I want to win and I don’t see us winning in the foreseeable future. I want to go to a World Series. That’s what all players want. Rebuilding is not a lot of fun for any veteran guy.”

Oooookay then Johnnie.  You don’t want to lose credibility, yet you just turned down a trade to the team that is now widely considered the best team in the American League?  Makes a lot of sense!

At a quick glance, a lot of White Sox fans might be glad this has happened.  We don’t want to see The Tribe, with arguably the best rotation in baseball, get teamed up with perhaps the best catcher in baseball not named Buster Posey right?  In my opinion, no.  If the Tribe did actually acquire Lucroy, they own his rights through the 2017 season.  That puts Cleveland in the driver’s seat of  the AL Central for at least a few more years, which theoretically should make the White Sox decision to sell either tomorrow or this winter all the easier.

But, Lucroy, a veteran who didn’t want to be a part of a rebuilding process, decided he didn’t want to play for a sure-fire contender and is not a part of the rebuilding process.  Thanks a lot bud.